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Senators should oppose two bills passed by House

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two bills that would undermine critical health protections against air pollution. One bill, the “BRICK” Act, would allow an indefinite delay of standards to reduce toxic air emissions from brick kilns, including poisonous airborne mercury that winds up in our fish and harms brain development in children, while also delaying more protective emissions standards for new wood-burning stoves and heaters.

Pollution from woodstoves is a significant source of air pollution in Montana. Emissions include particulate matter that gets into our lungs, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (think acid rain), volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and recognized carcinogens, including benzene and formaldehyde. These substances harm human health, causing an increase in asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, and premature death.

Western Montana communities have made significant progress in cleaning up woodstove pollution and we should be doing more, not less, to protect the health of vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and those with asthma and other lung conditions.

The “SENSE” Act would exempt power plants that burn coal waste from having to clean up dangerous air emissions, including pollution that causes asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lung cancer, and that harms our global water supply. At a time when our glaciers are shrinking, wildfire seasons getting longer and hotter, and emergency resources already overwhelmed, this proposal is a step backward.

Unfortunately, Rep. Gianforte voted for both of these harmful bills.

Montana’s Constitution grants us the fundamental right to a “clean and healthful environment,” the foundation of a healthy, productive life. As a mom to two young children whose lungs are still developing, and as a nurse who cares for patients and communities adversely impacted by air pollution, I urge Sens. Tester and Daines to oppose the BRICK and SENSE Acts and safeguard human health. —Kelli Barber Avanzino, Kalispell

Bad Actors Law – Is it fair?

The Bad Actors Law is a Montana mining law that was passed because there was a pattern of irresponsible behavior by some Montana mining company chief officers. This pattern often resulted in major pollution and bankruptcy filings, while the officers moved on to the next mine leaving the costs and impacts on taxpayers.

Hecla choose Philips Baker as their CEO knowing he had been the CFO of Pegasus Mining, which implicates him in the cleanup disaster now costing Montana taxpayers millions for perpetuity.

The communities near The Pegasus mines welcomed the promise of safe jobs and a safe environment. Pegasus asked to be trusted, that they would be good neighbors. Phillips Baker and his fellow Pegasus chief officers made a conscious decision to betray that trust. The Bad Actors Law is intended to stop people like Baker from being repeat offenders by holding their future employers accountable.

Is it an unfair law that requires mines to protect us from bad decisions made by bad actors who skip off while we pay the price? If Helca is sincere, they will stop fighting the law and do the responsible thing. —Jim Nash, Noxon

Don’t give away your data

Most data is obtained legally, with your consent. But many times you don’t recognize when you are providing your information. There are many steps you can take to help protect your privacy. Here are a few more that are driven by the current election cycle:

Stop filling out political surveys you get in the mail or over the phone. No matter what they say or imply, those surveys are not directing the actions of any organization. Organizations have boards, or funders, or founders that determine organizational goals.

Stop taking online quizzes and personality tests. Don’t give your information to random phone callers. They don’t give you any valuable feedback.

Your answers to these kinds of efforts are only used to market to you. If you tell them your most important issue is in support of pink elephants you will later receive postcards letting you know that the candidate they want elected supports pink elephants. It really doesn’t matter if that issue is important to the candidate or the organization funding the mailer; it is important to you.

Your interest is used against you to leverage your opinion in support of their goals, whoever “they” are. This is the reality of today’s marketing. It is marketing on Facebook, direct mail, and those ads that follow you around online.

Your opinion is valuable. But you have to determine if the claims about some candidate or issue agreeing with you is real or just a wedge being used to manipulate you. —Sandy Welch, Kalispell